*Ahem* Pardon my French, but "as soon as possible" my ass.
I am so, so, so, so, so, so sorry it took me this long to post this chapter! I feel like a total dork... it's been like a year. I'm such a hypocrite- if there's one thing I hate, it's when an author completely abandons a story and leaves everyone hanging! So, I decided that I'm definitely going to finish this story, even if it kills me. That being said, updates will be sporadic, because I am a high school freshman now and apparently, the teachers think that that gives them free reign to give us an ungodly amount of homework. Plus, I've signed myself up for a crazy amount of after-school activities (cheerleading, pom squad, dance committee, school musical) that writing gets put on the back-burner for a little while. ):
But enough of my ranting! You guys have waited long enough, so go read the chapter!
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Alice awoke, feeling as if she hadn't slept at all. She forced her heavy eyelids open, wincing into the sunlight that streamed in through the uncovered windows. Her voice was thick and rough as she spoke: "Mary Ann?" There was no answer, and Alice turned to see the other bed made neatly. The room was devoid of any indication that the other girl had even been present. In fact, the whole house seemed emptier than it had when she'd closed her eyes the night before. "Well, so much for explanations," she sighed forlornly. Her stomach growled angrily in response. "I guess I should get some breakfast."
She sprang from the bed, not bothering the fold the blankets back as Mary Ann had. The tiny house was very unsettling without the maid there with her. "She could have left a note," Alice pouted as she stepped into the foyer. She grimaced as her foot landed in something wet. "Aw, gross!" She shook a bit of mud from her heel. "How in the world..." She paused, staring down the hallway. Large, dark tracks of mud stained the wooden floor- whoever made them must have been wearing boots, from the pattern they left. A horrible sense of foreboding washed over her. "Mary Ann?" There was no way that the maid had left dirty stains like this, not after the fit she'd thrown about them the day before.
She walked quietly towards the foyer, alert for any signs of an intruder or her friend. "Mary Ann, are you- oh my..."
In front of her, the foyer lay in disaster. The chairs were overturned, legs in the air. One of the windows had been smashed, Mary Ann's broom hanging halfway through it, and more dark mud prints stretched across the ugly rug, originating from the thrown open front door. But the most devastating of the mess was smeared across the back wall: a dark splotch, probably painted hastily, in the rough form of a hand. It was painted in what looked like blood.
Alice stumbled backwards, leaning against the wall as another fierce headache hit her. She groaned, massaging her throbbing temples with her fingertips. It was the hand print that had brought this on. Something about it made her feel like she was forgetting something, something very important...
She forced herself to stand, scurrying out of the room as quickly as she could. Her heart beat fast as the pain faded and she considered her options. Obviously, this place wasn't safe anymore. She had to leave.
Alice ran back into the bedroom, not even letting herself stop to think. She threw open one of the windows and quickly stepped through it.
The second her feet touched the ground, she knew there was something wrong. She stared up into the sky, frowning as she realised that the vibrant colors were absent. The sky was a dark, still gray. There was a slight chill to the air as she moved away from the house, and she shivered softly in her thin nightgown.
She glanced around her- woods to the north, east, and west, and the path she's come up earlier towards the south. She headed west.
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"Ugh," Daphne moaned, clutching her empty stomach as she slumped down the path. "I'm so hungry."She'd been walking for what felt like days, only stopping to sleep for the night before she was back on her feet. She was cold, starving, tired, and scared.
How she'd managed to end up here- wherever here was- was a complete mystery to her. As was why there seemed to be a gaping, pitch black hole in the sky.
"What I wouldn't give for some cereal." She paused, bending over and clutching her knees, panting heavily. "And some cut up bananas and some of that soup Granny makes. Yum." She straightened up and was about to continue on when she heard the unmistakable sound of a horses whinnying and a whip cracking. For a moment, she stood in the middle of the path, unsure of what to do. If whoever it was was friendly, they could potentially help her out. If they weren't, however... "What would Sabrina do?" Daphne murmured as she darted behind the nearest bush. It was large enough that she could watch the path without being seen herself.
She gasped as a large, heart shaped carriage came into veiw. It was being pulled by two horses, who were a strange bright red color. Sitting in the coach's seat was none other than Sheriff Nottingham.
"Ah, Nottingham, a lovely day for hunting Grimm's, isn't it?" Queen Heart's voice was also unmistakable. Daphne involuntarily shrunk deeper into the brush at her comment. It could only mean that the Queen knew that she was there.
"Of course, your majesty," Nottingham replied in a bored tone. He cracked the whip dangerously close to the horse's heads. They whinnied in discontent, speeding up a bit. In a moment, they'd be rounding the bend where Daphne was. She tried her best to cover herself from all angles, peering through the leaves. "But I don't understand why you want to come out here and look for her yourself. You have your best huntsmen on the lookout."
"Because, even the best are complete idiots in this godforsaken place. If you want something done right, you've got to do it yourself. And I want Grimm strung up by her ears!" Heart cackled back, stomping her feet manically.
That was enough for Daphne. As the carriage disappeared around the corner, she darted from the bush, running deeper into the forest. Trees whizzed past as she ran in blind terror, glancing backwards...
She ran into something- or rather, someone- and with an "Oof!" fell tumbling to the forest floor. She tasted blood as she realized she'd bitten her tongue.
"Hey, you okay kid?" the person asked. Daphne froze. She'd recognize that voice anywhere. She turned slowly, her eyes widening in shock as she saw her unfortunate victim. "S-Sabrina?"
Alice's nose wrinkled as she brushed dirt from her nightgown. "Who's Sabrina?"
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Puck was not in a good mood. He hardly ever was these days, what with the old lady such a mess that she only made "normal" food. Didn't she know that he was a growing boy? And with both Sabrina and Daphne gone, there was no one to prank. Even Jake had left. Apparently, he was having trouble getting back down from the mountains through the snow.
He'd gone to enlist Tobias' help in finding Sabrina. Even with the wolf's spirit out of him, the old man still retained some of his tracking abilities. Relda spoke to him over the telephone every night, between bursts of cookie baking.
Puck fiddled with his flute, twisting it between his hands. He had to admit, being in the Grimm household was no fun nowadays. Besides the moping, and how Red seemed to glare daggers at him every chance she got, he had this... feeling. Not a good feeling- not brave or smart or triumphant or any of the usual feelings he had. This feeling bore down on his chest like a weight, making it so not even seeing a chimpanzee accidentally fire itself out of a cannon could make him laugh anymore. He thought that maybe he'd read about it in a book somewhere before, before his allergies had gotten too bad. What he was feeling was guilt.
And it made him mad.
It's not like it was his fault that Grimm had a horrible temper and a bad sense of direction to match! Sabrina was the one who got all upset and stomped out alone into the wilderness, Sabrina was the one who didn't tell anyone where she was going, and Sabrina was the one who neglected to return home to her worried family (not that he was worried...) And yet, he caught the blame. Before Marshmallow had left, she'd even said, and he quoted, "You are so dead to me right now." Talk about holding a grudge.
Though he had to admit, deep down, he kind of, sort of, maybe and itsy bitsy teeny weeny bit, missed Sabrina.
Okay, now he was just lieing to himself.
"Fine, I miss her!" he said suddenly, out loud. One of his chimps turned and gave him a look. "What? Get back to those fireworks!" he waved the animal off, getting back to his musing. If he did miss her, shouldn't he do something about it? What would be the heroic thing to do?
To save her, of course! He smiled devilishly. If he saved Grimm and the Marshmallow, they'd both owe him so much. He'd even bet they'd agree to be his slaves out of pure gratitude. "Oh Puck, you big strong man, you saved me!" he said adoringly, in a bad imitation of Sabrina's voice. "I love you so much, let me make you a giant hero !"
He switched back to his normal, overly-cocky voice. "No problem, Grimm. And you know how I feel about sandwhiches- extra pickles, no mayo." He laughed in glee, letting his wings burst from his back as he headed towards the door.
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"You're Sabrina," the girl said factually, getting over her initial shock. "You're Sabrina!" She ran to Alice, wrapping her arms around her in a hug that nearly knocked them both over again.
Alice stumbled, her arms pinned to her side by the over-active brunette. The girl suddenly let go, looking her up and down. She was wearing a long, thin white nightgown and her hair was tangled down her back. Suddenly, a look of confusion came across the girl's face.
"Wait, what do you mean, who's Sabrina?"
"You've obviously got me confused with someone else. My name is Alice."
The girl frowned deeply. "No, your name is Sabrina Marie Grimm, and I'm your sister Daphne." Alice raised an eyebrow in disbelief. "Look, obviously something happened to you that made you lose your memory or something. I think there's a word for that. Is it amnasia? anmaise?"
"Amnisia?" Alice supplied, then winced as another bout of pain hit her head. Daphne brightened.
"Yeah, that's it! Amnesia! You have amnesia!" She bounced on her toes in excitement. "We just have to try and jog your memory!" Alice tried to protest, but Daphne began spewing out a long list of names. "Okay, our mom and dad are Henry and Veronica. Our grandma is Granny Relda, our dog is super cool, and named Elvis. We live with this boy, Puck, and you guys are so totally in love-"
She paused as Sabrina let out a loud groan. "Hey, are you alright?"
Alice squeezed her eyes shut as the pain threatened to overwhelm her. She leaned against a tree for support, masaging her temples to ease the ache. "You're making... my head hurt," she gasped.
Daphne frowned apologetically- when she was excited, her squeals tended to reach supersonic levels. "Sorry, I'll be quieter."
"No," Sabrina whimpered, sliding down with her back against the tree. "You really make my head hurt." Another burst of agony, and she saw stars. She felt her body go limp, and Daphne's disembodied voice shouting at her to wake up. And then, she was too far gone to hear anything.
Things Thay May Need Clarification:
*Alice and Sabrina are the same person. Sabrina has amnesia and thinks her name is Alice. She is referred to as Alice by herself, the Cheshire Cat, and Mary Ann. Everyone else knows her as Sabrina Grimm.
* Time works differently in Wonderland. I know a couple chapters ago I said that 3 days in Wonderland= 1 day in real time, but it didn't quite work out. (I suck at math XD) But just know that Wonderland is completely different- time only exists if you think it does. Wrestle with that one for a bit. :D
* There will be Puckabrina. Patience, friends.
Lastly, THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO REVIEWED! It was you guys who conviced me to really buckle down and finish this puppy! :D
Until next time,
thecheeriopirate